Circulating extracellular vesicle microRNAs mediate immune modulation of social behavior in male mice

Abstract

Abstract Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-derived small membrane vesicles and circulate throughout the body, but the impact of circulating EVs on brain function and behavior remains elusive. Here, we report that wild-type (WT) mouse blood, particularly EVs, increases sociability in socially impaired immunodeficient Rag1 −/− male mice, mimicking the effects of WT T cell transfer. These EVs are localized to neurons and regulate PKCε expression, GABA A receptor synaptic localization, and inhibitory postsynaptic signaling in prefrontal cortex (PFC) pyramidal neurons. Injection of Rag1 −/− EVs supplemented with miR-23a-3p and miR-103-3p enhances synaptic function and sociability in Rag1 −/− mice. T cells secrete miR-23a-3p via EVs, and Mir23a −/− T cells fail to increase sociability. Similar beneficial effects of WT blood EVs are observed in additional mouse models with sociability deficits, such as Cntnap2 −/− and Shank3 −/− mice. These findings uncover the role of EV miRNAs in mediating immune modulation of synaptic function and social behavior, revealing a non-canonical molecular pathway for immune-neuron communication.